Antipanic theater and the like



-Nov. 15, 1938. A. B. CHRISTENSEN I 3 ANTIPANC THEATER AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 23, 1957 ///W/fl//?////////////////// ATT EX Patenta& Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE y j'ascsir ANTIPANIC 'manas AND 'rus mms August B. Christensen, Hellertown, Pa.

Application November 23, 1937, Seriali No. 1%,115

` z Claims.

The invention relates to the design and construction of theaters, auditoriuins, and other places of public assemblage, and has :for an object to provide for the safety of audiences in s emergencies which require an audience to vacate {the building quickly, as, in case of fire, explosion, earthquake, and other serious occurrences which would threaten the safety of an audience remaining in the building. 4

id An important aim of the invention is to obviate the need for the persons in an audience to make their own ways from the building in such emergencies, and particularly to avoid the re quirement for the audience to reach the doors' 5 and other usual exists in order to leave the building, so that the possibility of jamming of a crowd at such exits is avoided, as well as similar dislrs ou stairways within or without the building.

It is an object of the invention to prevent an W audience from infiicting injury upon its members in the hysterical panie which accompanies fear as has often occurred in the past among crowds oi usually normal individuals.

To these ends it is au aim of the invention to ar present means whereby: an audience may be moved translationally while seated in its chairs,

and as a unit, from the building to a place of safety, all being evacuated simuitaneously.

' Additional objects, advantages and features of .tt invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodinent oi the invention as will appear from the following description and accompanying i drawing. whereiuut Figure 1 is a vertical section oi' a Construction of building and apparatus embodying my invention, the section being parallel to one one row oi' seats, the structure being shown in condition tor normal use.

tiu' b'igure 2 is a vertical section at right angles to Figura 1 from the direction of the stage. screen or proscenium.

Figura 3 is a Iragmentary elevation :from the right of Figura i.

&5 There is iliustrateda portion of a building structure o, which maybe of any conventional architectural detaii as to parts not shown, in which a platform or stage ll of any usual construction may be provided, the details ot this 50 being formaliy indicatd without'detal since they form no essential part of the present invention. The floor l2 oi the auditorium'is a movable deck structure stepped or not, conforming to approved 4 construction practices for such a structure as 55 hereinafte' indicated. It is lower toward the (CI. to-11112) stage than it is at the back part which is at the right in Figura 2. The main fixed building structure may include a bed floor !3 set a considerable distance below the declt l2 and having mounted thereover a series of parallel rails M inclined laterally and downwardly to the right and carried on piliars i5 or otherwise. The building also includes a permanent fixed wall portion Ni at the side of the auditorium, having an opening I'll therein the top of which is at a height of a standm ing person, for purposes to be indicated. The rails M are continued through this opening with uniform inclinations, downwardiy onto a lower area lt without the building. The rails lt over the area Is may also be supported on pillars It, is it required. It this area is within an excavation. the sides of the letter should be suitabiy walled, and proper drainage and access and egress provided, these details not being illustrated, since they are well underst details of architecture. m in the event that the building is built in a sitnation where the grade corresponds to the slope required or may be made so, and at the rightlevel, the pillars ili may be omitted as expedient, and the rails laid upona properly adjusted grade 35 with any approved ioctings suitable for the purpese.

Movable upon the rails and carrying the decir there is a carriage u consisting oi' a iframe supporting the decit u, and having wheels s at W suitable intervals on each of the rails lt.

It should be noted that this carriage :rame work is constructed in units each identical with 'the other except in height, and that these un'iw are assembied and secured together to form the complete supporting structure for the deck z, so

that each respective section of deck is supported independently of the rcmainder, and the liability oi a general collapse by i'ailure of the frame work *40 at one point only is minimized; The wheels it are arranged at front and rearsides of the i'rame sections, so that at mutually adjacent `'sidcs of respective sections two' sets of wheels are 1 pairs.

The carriage sections are preferably secured together so as to form a unitary structure movable without relative displacement of any of the parts of the carriage structure or of the deck areas.

The carriage work is extended as at E& at its lower part under the wall s and be; ;nd the vertical boundary of the chairs and a side aisle between the chairs and wall !3 or its continuation, and on this lower extension part an entrance platform 25 is constructed, having a parapet 26 at its outer edge parallel to the plane of the wall IC and spaced outwardly of that -plane to aiford standing room for a proper number of people outside of that plane when the deck is in normal position. This extension 24 carries a false wall section 21, which when the deck |2 is in normal position alines with the wall IS and flts within the opening ll in the wall IS, closing the same. In the false wall 21 there are incorporated wall !rame sections 23 alined with respective carriage sections, and in each of the wall sections 23 respective sets of doors 29 are provided appropriate to the uses contemplated, and adapted to use as entrances to the building when the carriage structure is in normal position, or they may be used exclusively for access to and from the carriage element and its deck when in emergency position.

The carriage structure and its deck and deck load, as well as the false wall structure 21, and platform 25, are held in normal position as a stationary part of the building in which they are lncorporated, by means of a series of cables 30, attached to the inner lateral edge of the deck and carriage structure, where it is very 'close to the rails Il since the latter are spaced just enough below the deck at this side of the carriage and deck structure to accommodate the minimum truck or skid structure.

The cables are wound on drums 3| fixed on a common shaft 32 mounted below the rails and operated conventidnally from a motor 33 located on the floor i3, the shaft 32 being journalled in suitable journal brackets 34 mounted on the same floor. The shaft is located below all parts ot the deck, and the cables are carried upward from the drums over respective idler pulleys 35 so as to bring the cable ends properly into a plane with the deck part to which they are connected parallel to the rails N.

The shaft 32 is also provided with a brake drum and brake device 36 controlled in any preferred nanner, a brake wheel 31 being shown.

There is indicated an unloading platform 33 without the building beside the emergency position of the'carriage and deck structure, so that when the latter is in emergency position the audience may leave their seats and file down the aisles leading to the front of the deck and step onto the platform 38. Any desired auxiliary ap- 2,186,841 I located over the two rails of mutually adjacent paratus for releasing the carriage from initial position, and for stopping it at the lower ends of the inclined tracks may be employed, as discretion dictates. The release device may comprise a part of the brake unit 36. Other means for braking or controlling movement of the car:

rlage from normal position to emergency position maybe employed without depa'rting from the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed, as well as various other modiflcations made within the scope of the said claims, and I do not regard the invention as limited to the specific construction herein illustrated.

I- claim:

1. A structure of the character described comprising a building structure having a space therewithin to accommoda'te a floor deck and including a wall having an opening therethrough extending above and below the deck, a pit exteriorly of the building, an inclined trackway mounted within thebuilding below the deck space inclined downwardly from the side of said space opposite the' said opening and extending through the opening into the pit, said pit being of a width equal at least to the width of the deck space, a carriage on the trackway, said carriage including support means decreasing in height progressively in the direction of the pit, a floor deck carried by the support means at a level to register with the upper edge of the pit when the carriage is moved thereinto, means to control movement of the carriage on the trackway, and means to move the carriage, from without the building on said trackway to normal operative position.

2. A structure of the character described comprislng a building structure having a space therewithin to accommodate a floor deck, and including a wall beside said space having an opening therethrough beside the space for the deck, and extending therebelow and thereabove; an inclined trackway mounted within the building below the deck space inclined downwardly from the side of said space opposite the said opening extending through said opening without the building a distance equal at least to the width of said deck space, a carriage on said tra'ckway,'a floor deck carried thereby, means to anchor the carriage and deck in normal operative position, means to control movement of the carriage and deck on said trackway, means to control movement of the carriage from without the building on said trackway to normal operative position, means to secure the carriage releasably in initial position, a platform on the lower part of the carriage projected beyond and without the plane of said wall when the carriage is in normal position, and a wall section on said carriage constructed and arranged to close said opening when the carriage is in normal position, and doors in said wall section to form communication with the interior of the building from said platform.

. AUGUST B. CHRISTENSEN. 

